Grinning faces were easy to spot on Wednesday in the Indians’ dugout.
Between a two-homer, three-RBI game from Michael Brantley and another quality start from sinkerballer Justin Masterson, the Tribe had plenty to be happy about in its 6-3 win over the Royals at Progressive Field.
The victory moved the Indians 3 1/2 games back of first-place Detroit in the American League Central standings. Kansas City is in third, 1 1/2 games behind Cleveland.
In Wednesday’s rubber game, Brantley launched leadoff shots over the right-field fence in the fifth and eighth innings for the first multi-homer game of his career.
“It’s awesome. I’m not going to lie,” Brantley said. “It put a smile on my face. I don’t show too much emotion, but I smiled after that one.”
Brantley went 2-for-3 at the plate, driving in Mike Aviles with a sacrifice fly in a decisive three-run sixth inning.
It began with a Drew Stubbs single and also featured an RBI single by Aviles — which went off the glove of Royals left fielder Alex Gordon near the left-field wall — and a four-pitch, bases-loaded walk to Carlos Santana, issued by Kansas City starter Luis Mendoza, who held the Tribe hitless through the first four innings before Brantley’s blast in the fifth.
As for Masterson, the right-hander allowed nine hits in 6 1/3 innings, but the Royals managed just two runs off him. He walked two and struck out eight.
Masterson improved to 9-5 with a 3.48 ERA. In nine starts at Progressive Field, he’s 6-1 with a 2.29 ERA.
“It’s probably because I get to hang out with my wife and daughter before the game,” Masterson said about his dominance at home. “It just seems to work out. I don’t exactly know what the science is behind it or anything like that. But the bad games have come on the road. Just nice to hang with the fam.”
On Wednesday, Masterson’s runs came in the fourth and fifth innings. Elliot Johnson’s liner up the middle brought David Lough home in the fourth. An inning later, Lough sent a grounder down the left-field line that plated Eric Hosmer.
That was all Kansas City managed against Masterson, who was helped in no small part by Mark Reynolds. The first baseman made a pair of diving stops in the game, the second of which stole a potential two-run hit away from Gordon and ended the Royals’ threat in the fifth.
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